Cowboys & Babies Volume 1 From Harlequin: The Texas Ranger's TwinsA Baby in the BunkhouseA Cowgirl's Secret

by Tina Leonard

  “Wh-when I saw him,” she said against Luke’s chest, “something in me snapped. On the outside, I’ve grown so much, but on the inside, I’m still a scared little kid. He told me if I tattled on him, everyone I loved would hate me. Or worse, he’d hurt them. He made threats so many times I ingested his poison and deeply believed it. As much as my brothers love him, I still wonder what if they think I’m lying? After all, it’s my word against his. They no doubt view me as their nutty sister who ran off for greener pastures. Meanwhile, there’s wise, kind, dependable Henry—does he still carve all those stupid wood toys?”

  Lips pressed tight, Luke nodded.

  “H-he once told me Christmas was the happiest time of the year for him—not for the usual reasons, but because so many little boys and girls got to sit on Uncle Henry’s lap.” She shuddered. “Now, can you see why I left? I was eighteen and wild and had been so badly abused my head wasn’t on straight. Wh-when I found out I was pregnant, my only thought was running as far as I could. A-and then, the longer I stayed away, the more impossible returning became. I knew I’d disappointed so many people—most of all, you.”

  “I get it,” Luke said, smoothing her hair from her forehead. “Still don’t like it, but I understand. Why didn’t you tell someone? A teacher, Doc Haven…me?”

  Back in those days, Luke had loved Daisy with cutting clarity. With her brother as his best friend, Luke had known Daisy his whole life, but the summer before their freshman year in high school, she’d stopped being a pest to become his fascination. Long blond hair, limbs kissed sun-gold, her smile made him aspire to be more than a 4-H kid who spent every spare second with his horse.

  “I know,” she said barely loud enough for him to hear.

  But she didn’t—know. Henry’s actions had had a ripple effect. By causing her to leave, so many more lives had been hurt. Including Luke’s. Their son’s. Luke had spent years wondering what he’d done wrong. So much lost time and energy and, most of all, hope.

  As much as Luke was firmly in Daisy’s proverbial court, he also knew that, beloved as Henry was in the Weed Gulch community, folks would take sides. Up to the day she left, Daisy had had a reputation for being the Buckhorn wild child. Now that Luke knew what demons she’d been running from, her constant partying made sense. But would the God-fearing people of Tohwalla County see the accomplished woman Daisy had fought to become? Or would she remain the out-of-control teen they remembered?

  “PLEASE, DALLAS, SAY SOMETHING.” After pouring out her story in his quiet study, Daisy’s pulse raced to an uncomfortable degree. Luke had brought her home while Wren organized the rest of the family, making sure the children were occupied while Daisy delivered her news. “Tell me what’s going through your head?”

  His sarcastic laugh bordered on dangerous.

  Fists clenched, he rose.

  “What’re you doing?” she asked, also on her feet.

  “Getting answers.” Already to the study door, he stormed out the house’s back exit, his strides too large for her to catch up.

  “Dallas, wait!”

  He waved off her request. No use in asking him where he was going. Henry’s one-bedroom home stood next to the barn. Directly in Dallas’s path.

  By this time, the rest of the family had taken note of his uncharacteristic behavior. Her mother and brothers, along with Josie and Luke all stood behind her. Wren was with the children in the movie room, where a Disney film blared loud enough to block matters not fit for young ears.

  “Henry Pohl,” Dallas shouted, banging the heel of his fist against the old man’s door.

  Though Daisy’s rubbery knees threatened to buckle, she, along with the rest of the crowd, trailed after Dallas.

  “Get out here!”

  “Boss,” Henry said with his characteristic slow smile and a tip of his cowboy hat. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  Dallas delivered a hard right to Henry’s jaw.

  “What the hell—” Henry adopted a defensive pose.

  Daisy was so frightened she forgot to breathe.

  Luke sidled up behind her, cupping his hands to her shoulders in silent support.

  “Did you mess with my sister?” Dallas asked.

  “Absolutely not,” Henry said, having the audacity to look offended. “That what this runaway harlot claimed? How many years have I given to you and yours, Dallas Buckhorn? This kind of insulting accusation is how you repay me?”

  “Shut up!” Daisy screamed, childishly placing her hands over her ears. “I can’t take any more of your lies. You molested me over and over in this very house. You told me it was our special secret, and that if I ever told another soul, I’d be in trouble. Well, you know what, you sick bastard? I’m not afraid or defenseless any more. I let you rob me of the past ten years, but no more. You’re never going to do this to another little girl.”

  “Oh, Daisy…” Her mother crushed her in a hug. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Her story poured out on racking sobs. How Henry had threatened not only her if she’d told, but all of them. In the end, Daisy had felt crazy and had to get away. She’d wanted to come home, but fear and embarrassment and shame all melded into a wall she feared she’d never break through.

  To Henry, Dallas said, “You’ve got fifteen minutes to pack up your crap and get the hell off my land.”

  “Be reasonable,” Henry said. “Clearly, Daisy’s not in her right mind.”

  “Me?” Daisy shrieked. “What you did was unspeakable.”

  Wrapping her arm around Daisy’s shaking shoulders, Georgina said, “Let’s get you inside. Dallas, just as soon as that man’s gone, call the sheriff.”

  “Let’s not be too hasty,” Henry pleaded. “Please. This is my home.”

  “Dallas,” Daisy managed, “from a legal standpoint, there’s nothing we can do.”

  “The hell there isn’t,” her brother roared. “Ladies, get on in the house and let us men take care of this.”

  Relieved didn’t come close to describing how Daisy felt about her family rallying around her.

  “Georgina,” Josie said, “I’m going to help Wren with the kids. I’m sure you and Daisy need to talk.”

  “Thank you,” Daisy said to her sister-in-law.

  “It’s us who should be thanking you,” Josie said with an awkward hug. “Truthfully, I’ve heard Henry ask the twins to play at his house, and thought it odd. Now, I know why alarms went off in my head. H-he just seemed so kind. Part of the family, you know?” Hand to her forehead, she sharply exhaled. “Listen to me. I’m babbling. I—I just can’t believe this kind of predator has been in our home.”

  “I know,” Daisy said. “I’m sorry I didn’t come forward sooner, I just…”

  “Shh,” Georgina urged. “Now that this ugly business is out in the open, let Dallas take care of it. We need never speak of it again.”

  As much as Daisy appreciated her mother’s kindness, the ugly business was an intrinsic part of who she was. Now that those she loved were aware of the reason behind her leaving, she wanted it out of her, and talking about it was the only way to make that happen.

  An hour later, exhausted from the showdown with Henry, Daisy lay stretched out on the living-room sofa, resting her head on her mother’s lap. “I should still be worried about Henry, but all I can think about is how upset Kolt was at the rodeo. I want him to understand I had good reason, but the last thing I want to do is burden him with my trouble.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Georgina said, softly stroking Daisy’s hair. “I feel like I’m at the root of all of this. If only I’d paid closer attention to you, instead of to my garden club and parties, none of this ever would’ve happened.”

  There had been a time when Daisy had put the entire blame on her mother’s shoulders, but with each passing year, she’d realized how the whole family had been victims of Henry’s abuse. “Don’t let that guilt settle in. It’s counterproductive. I know. For now, I need to focus on Kolt and Luke. I have to help them
make up for the time I stole.”

  “As wonderful a man as Luke is, I suspect Kolt will soon enough grow to love him, and in the process forgive you. But, hon, it’s not going to happen overnight.”

  “I know.” Daisy had naively hoped returning to Weed Gulch would create positive changes for her son. He was getting to the age that he needed a man to look up to—not that being with his father wouldn’t have been beneficial to him through all stages of his development, just that now that Kolt was soon to be a teen, Daisy wouldn’t be his ideal choice for discussing guy stuff. Groaning, she rubbed her throbbing forehead. “I thought telling all of you about Henry would be my hardest task. But now, I’m afraid it wasn’t anywhere near as tough as it’s going to be ensuring my son grows up happy and well-adjusted.”

  “YOU CAN TALK TO ME, YOU KNOW.”

  The night of the rodeo, Kolt didn’t even want to look at his mom, and he sure didn’t want to talk to her. He sat on the end of the bed in his new room. The walls were dark green and he missed his old blue room back in the loft.

  “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you this afternoon. Henry’s not a nice man and all I could think about was getting you away from him.”

  “He’s always been nice to me.” What was wrong with his mother? Making up stories about people. Plus, she was always fighting with his dad. Why did he have to be nice to Luke if she wasn’t?

  She sighed. “I know he may have seemed nice, but on the inside, he’s a very bad man. If you ever see him again, run and tell a grown-up as fast as you can.”

  Kolt rolled his eyes. “I wish Uncle Cash and Aunt Wren could be my mom and dad. They’re not crazy. I asked Uncle Cash to take care of me.”

  “Oh?” She chewed on her fingernails and looked as though she was about to cry. Kolt hated seeing her upset, but lately all she’d done was hurt him. “What did he say about that?”

  “He said, no, because I have a mom and dad. But I know if I help Uncle Cash with chores and stuff, he’ll want to keep me.”

  “Get this straight,” his mom said in what he now knew was her crazy voice. “You are mine. You will not live with Uncle Cash and you will stop being upset with me for watching out for you the only way I know how. Have I made mistakes? Do I still? Yes. What parent doesn’t? But I love you.”

  “Can I please just go to bed?” Kolt was tired of hearing her talk. She always said lots of stuff that sounded good, but nothing ever changed.

  MONDAY EVENING, through the setting sun’s orange glow, Luke saw the dust cloud before the car. Instinct told him exactly who it would be.

  He finished watering what remained of his struggling tomato plants, then coiled up the hose. By the time he’d finished, sure enough, Daisy and Kolt had pulled into his drive.

  After drying his palms on the thighs of his jeans, Luke moseyed over, not especially in a hurry to see the woman who’d turned his life upside down. He’d had a tough enough time relating to her before learning about what she’d been through with Henry. Now, Luke was even less sure of what to do or say.

  She was wearing a T-shirt and pink flip-flops that made her look all of fifteen. Her messy pigtail didn’t help. She looked as pretty as she had the spring day he’d asked her to the prom. But that didn’t change the fact that as sorry as he felt for what Henry had put her through, she didn’t have a free pass for Luke missing the first ten years of his son’s life.

  When Kolt exited the car, stepping onto his land, Luke wasn’t sure what to say. Kolt was handsome. Tall for his age and stick thin. A smattering of freckles dotted his nose and his dark hair had been neatly trimmed.

  “When I was your age,” Luke said to his boy, hands shoved in his pockets, “I hated getting my hair cut. One day my mom let me cut it myself. Kids at school teased that it looked so bad I must’ve got caught in barbed wire. Just looking at your head tells me you’re a damned sight smarter than me.”

  “You cussed,” his son scolded.

  Chuckling, Luke said, “About time you learned that’s what cowboys do. Sometimes there’s just no way around it.”

  “Don’t listen to him,” Daisy said.

  “Do listen to me,” Luke insisted with what he hoped came across as a welcoming, friendly smile. “Here’s what you need to do. Let’s say you’re on your horse and see a snake. What’re you going to say?”

  Nose wrinkled, Kolt shook his head. “I dunno.”

  “Wrong. How about, damn, that’s a big snake.”

  Wearing a cautious grin, Kolt mimicked, “Damn, that’s a big snake.”

  “Excellent.” Luke held out his hand for a high five and was pleasantly surprised when Kolt didn’t leave him hanging. “All right, now it’s time for—”

  “That’s enough.” Arms crossed, Daisy didn’t look amused by the evening’s cursing lesson. “Could we please go inside? It’s hot.”

  “Help yourself,” Luke said. “Front door’s open. If Kolt doesn’t mind, we need to feed the horses before we head in for the night.”

  “Kolt?” she asked, worry lacing her tone. “Is that all right with you?”

  “Just go, Mom. I want to talk to my dad.”

  Luke couldn’t help but beam with pride when his boy asked, “Can I brush your horses, too? Uncle Cash taught me how and he says I do a really good job.”

  “Absolutely,” Luke said, ignoring the fact that Daisy still stood in front of the porch. “And hey, while I’ve got you here, can you tell me why the farmer’s horse went over the mountain?”

  “Nope.”

  “He couldn’t go under it.”

  Though Kolt didn’t crack a smile, he couldn’t quite hide the light in his eyes.

  Luke knew he had a long way to go before his son fully accepted him, but, Lord willing, with enough bad jokes and kid-friendly animal chores, the two of them might work their way into each other’s hearts.

  As for his child’s mother? Good thing Daisy had finally chosen to hide out in the house or Luke just might’ve put her on manure duty.

  Chapter Eight

  A week had passed since Daisy’s last secret had gotten out. Funny how time had a way of elongating or shortening in direct proportion to one’s discomfort level. The past seven days had felt excruciatingly long. Kolt was still giving her the silent treatment, insisting Henry had been his friend. During her brief exchanges with Luke, he wasn’t much more communicative.

  She’d hoped sharing the whole of her past would bring them closer, but instead, he seemed more distant than ever. Painfully polite, as if mere words might cause her to once again break.

  Seated behind what had once been her home desk that she’d placed in the sun-flooded southeast corner of her new office, Daisy tackled a few emails from Barb regarding case research. Her friend had asked her to stay on with the firm at least until Daisy established her own law practice. Barb made no effort to hide her hopes that Daisy would soon tire of small-town life.

  Truth be told, though Daisy had never been surrounded by more people who knew her, she had also never felt more lonely or out of place.

  Dallas had Josie.

  Cash had Wren.

  Georgina had club meetings and grandchildren.

  Wyatt had his travels and a seemingly neverending stream of buxom blondes.

  By comparison, Daisy felt as if she had no one. Sending a personal note grousing about this fact to Barb, Daisy was surprised by her boss’s down-home advice to take the bull by the horns and make her son and Luke spend time with her.

  Though it’d been years since she’d been on a picnic, Daisy figured that’d be as good a way as any to start the lengthy process of regaining their trust.

  “Hey,” she said when Luke answered his cell on the second ring.

  “What do you need? I’m in the middle of something.”

  “Sorry. I’ll make it quick.” She doodled a series of stars on a yellow legal pad. “Are you free tonight? I thought we might build a fire down by the pond and roast hot dogs. Make s’mores.” Talk.

  “Sounds n
ice,” he said, “but I already made tentative plans with Kolt and Cash and Dallas.”

  “Oh?” Nice of him to include her.

  “I was going to call and run it past you, but Dallas said there’s some pretty decent catfish in the pond by the Peterson place. We’re riding horses over just as soon as Kolt gets home from camp.”

  Snapping her pencil in half, Daisy managed a count to three in her head before she blew. “While I’m thrilled that you’ve jumped right into parenting, Luke, you seem to have forgotten the fact that I’m Kolt’s primary care-giver. As such, it’s customary for you to—”

  “Stop right there,” Luke said, tone lethally low. “Don’t you dare lecture me on how much time I’m allowed with my boy. Within reason, I will see him whenever, and wherever I’d like. As I’m sure you and any right-minded judge would agree, we have lots of lost time to make up for.”

  Daisy gulped.

  “Speaking of which, my mother is throwing a party in Kolt’s honor Saturday. A sort of welcome to the family, ten-year catch-up on birthdays and Christmases. My parents didn’t want to invite you, but I insisted. After all, it’s the neighborly thing to do.”

  SEATED ON HIS FOLKS’ SOFA Saturday afternoon, Luke had mixed feelings watching his son open a mountain of gifts. On one hand, he was so proud of the well-mannered, funny, likeable little guy that he was about to burst. On the other, Luke realized he’d had nothing to do with how Kolt had turned out beyond donating some DNA.

  The living room was so crowded not only with the Montgomery clan, but with relatives from his mom’s side of the family that Daisy had been forced to the dining-room table. Watching her brought on a whisper of nostalgia for happier times. Blotting that out, however, was the screaming reality of what she’d done. He and Kolt might be pals, but would they ever have the bond a father and son should? When Luke thought of what Henry had done, rage seized him, but so did his inherent mistrust of Kolt’s mom. At a time when she should’ve run straight to Luke, she’d run away from him as fast as she could.